Grace Hammond
MISBEHAVING yobs could be shamed out of their anti-social behaviour by bright pink lights which show up their acne.
The lights are so strong they highlight skin blemishes and have moved on youths from troublespots who view pink as bei
ng "uncool".
After a shopkeeper successfully dispersed youths who gathered outside his business, a town plans to test pink lighting on problem estates.
The scheme is being launched in Scunthorpe by one of the country's 35 Safer Neighbourhood Partnerships.
Dave Hey, manager of the town's Crosby Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder said: "It is one of many ideas we have considered to try and alleviate the problems of youths gathering in residential areas.
"We want to try and persuade young people to move to where they feel comfortable and where local residents don't feel they are causing a nuisance.
"We heard of a butcher who used fluorescent pink lighting strips in his front window to stop teenagers from gathering outside and it was a great success.
"It apparently shows up blotches on young people's skin which they don't like and they find somewhere else to congregate."
The group is trying to find a site to trial the pink strip lights and will probably put them on a local council estate or in shops in the town centre.
Mr Hey said: "We are trying to embarass young people. The pink is not seen as particularly macho among young men and apparently it highlights acne and blemishes in the skin.
"It is just one of a range of ways and means of deterring anti-social behaviour we are looking at."
A North Lincolnshire Council spokesman said: "We are always looking for innovative ways to tackle anti-social behaviour.
"Each area is different, for some CCTV is the answer, in others finding young people alternative places to meet.
"However it could just boil down to making an area unattractive for young people. This is why pink lighting is being investigated.
"On the face of it this sounds barmy. But do young people really want to hang around in an area with a pink glow that makes any spots they have on their face stand out?"
If the scheme is successful, other members of the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership could take it up elsewhere.
Neighbourhood Watch chairman Tracey Ashton said: "It if works then we would certainly be interested in it. It sounds really good. Rather than just shutting up an area and trying to forget about it they are thinking of ways to solve a problem."
Ian Welch, Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator for Scunthorpe and a former policeman said: "Years ago police cells were painted pink as a calming measure so it could quieten down these youths."
Humberside Police spokeswoman Lisa Fleming said: "The effectiveness of such a scheme is not yet known but if it is proved to have reduced nuisance behaviour in other areas then it it as least worth considering."
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